The Eppes Girls
by Beatlesfan90
Summary: What if Charlie and Amita met two girls, not unlike himself and his brother? And adopted them? This is the story of what that might be like for them and for the girls to have a family like the Eppes!


It was your typical run down house, one that would never stand out on a block. It was just supposed to be a routine hostage situation. A man was holding his ex-girlfriend hostage demanding a plane to Mexico. The man had a wrap sheet as long as special agent Don Eppes' arm. There was no way Don was going to let this guy out of the country, let alone off the block without being in handcuffs.

"Don?" Megan approached him and lowered her voice, "911 got a call from two young girls."

Don waited for the punch line of what she was telling him, "So what? We're kind of busy here, Megan."

"Don, the girls, are in there." She pointed to the house they were standing in front of. "They're hiding in their mother's closest."

"No, no." Don drug a hand over his face. "This isn't good." He sighed and looked back at Megan. "What do we know about the girls?"

"Abigail, the caller, she's ten years old. And her younger sister is Aubrey. Six years old." Megan read from her notepad. "Abigail said that when Craig Matthews showed up at the house her mother sent her and her sister upstairs to hide."

A gunshot went off in the house, making the agents all duck behind their vehicles. Followed by a second one soon after. "We need to get in there." Don turned to his agents, "Now!" The team readied themselves and followed Don's lead. They lined up along the door. "Three, two, one, execute." The team burst through the door and searched the house for the source of the gun shots. In the living room where the bodies. The young mother and the man who killed her.

Megan ran up the stairs followed quickly by Don. "Abigail? Aubrey?" She yelled as she searched one room.

Don found the master bedroom and looked into the closet. Two small faces looked up at him with tears streaming down their cheeks. He sighed and smiled at the girls. "Hey, it's okay. I'm with the FBI. I'm here to help you." He waited for their nods before reaching down and helping the girls to their feet. Megan joined him and introduced herself. She picked up the younger sister and informed her to close her eyes while they walked downstairs. Don talked to the older sister before bringing her close to him and covering her eyes while he walked with her out the house.

Once outside, Abigail looked to Don. "Where's my mom?" She sniffed, wiping tears from her eyes. "Is she…?" The last word never made it out of her mouth but Don knew what she was asking. Don didn't have to say anything. The look on his face was answer enough for the young girl. She burst into tears, wrapping her arms around Don's waist. The senior agent wasn't sure what to do, so he just let her sob into his vest. Her small frame trembling. He looked to the younger sister, who was sitting on the ledge of an ambulance with Megan's arm around her shoulders, tears in her eyes as well.

Abigail leaned away from Don and looked up at him. She wiped her tears and looked to where her sister was sitting. "How do I tell her?" She took a deep breath before looking back to the agent before her.

Don sighed and squatted down to her level, "I'm not sure, Sweetie." He held her at arm's length, "You want me to help you?"

To his surprise the girl shook her head, "No. My sister is a kinda… Special." She glanced behind her at the younger girl. Then back to Don.

"What do you mean, special?" The agent became concerned.

The elder sister sighed and looked to her feet. "Aubrey is a child prodigy. In math."

Don laughed slightly, "No way."

Abigail looked up at him, suddenly defensive. "I wouldn't lie about it. She is! She can do my homework!"

Don shook his head, "No, Sweetie. I believe you." He smiled again. "My little brother is the same way. He could multiply four digit numbers in his head when he was like three."

"Really?" The ten year old's face lit up. "Aubrey started at four."

Don smiled at her. "Let's get your sister and get you both to my office, okay?" Abigail nodded in agreement, and holding Don's hand they walked to the younger sister,then piled into Don's car. Abigail sat by the window staring out it while holding her sister close. Don could see the two in his rear-view mirror, they were so small and looked completely exhausted. How could he hand these two over to foster care? They could get separated. And what kind of foster parent could take care of a child like Aubrey? He couldn't let something happen to the girls. But what could he do?

Charlie was at the office when Don showed up with the girls. Holding each girls hand, the agent led the girls to a table in the break room.

"Are those the girls from that hostage case?" Charlie asked Megan as she approached the desk.

She nodded and took her gun out of the holster, placing it in her desk. "Yeah. And you should meet the younger one."

"Why's that?" Charlie asked, perplexed.

"Because she's just like you, Charlie." Don said, coming up behind the two. "She's a math prodigy." Charlie looked to the two children in the break room and sighed. Don walked him to the room and introduced his brother to the sisters.

Six years later, Abigail Eppes walked with her friends onto the baseball field, carrying her fastpitch bag with her gear, only to find the boys baseball team warming up. "What is this?" She looked to her friend.

One of the boys nearby overheard her and step towards her, "Girl's fastpitch has been dropped." He smiled wickedly at her. "The school finally came to their senses."

"What?" She and her two friends said in unison.

"No way!" She turned around and found the coach of the girls team walking towards them, "Coach!" She ran up to him with her friends in tow. "Coach, tell me he's lying. Our team got cut?"

The coach sighed and looked down at his feet, "I'm sorry, Abby." He shrugged and clapped the girl on the arm. "It's just bad luck, girls." He shrugged again and took off towards the parking-lot.

Abby folded her arms across her chest and scowled, "They can not cut our team and think I'm just going to take it." She turned to her friends, "We've got to do something." A bat hitting a ball caught her attention and she looked up, watching the boys practicing. She smiled. "And I know _just_ what it is."

Later that night, Abigail sat down to dinner with her family, her sister Aubrey and her adoptive parents, Charlie and Amita. They were all listening to Aubrey talk about her latest science project.

But Abby wasn't all that interested in what her sister had to say, she was plotting how to begin her conversation with her parents. She moved the green beans around on her plate without really eating any of it.

"Abby?" Charlie looked over at his oldest daughter. "Are you okay, Sweetie?"

"Huh?" Abigail looked at her father before realizing what he asked, "Oh, yeah. I guess."

"What's going on?"

Abby sighed, _might as well get it over with_. "The girls team got cut today." She shifted and looked back down at her food, "Something about not enough girls signing up or something."

"I'm sorry, Hun. That has to be tough." Amita reached over and put a hand on her daughter's arm. "I know how much you were looking forward to the season."

Abby nodded again. "Yeah…" She looked up at her parents, "But I think I have a plan to still play." She waited for her parents to respond but when they just looked at her she continued. "I'm going to try out for the boys team."

Her parents looked to each other before turning back to their daughter and started talking at once. Abby looked across the table at her sister,rolled her eyes and sighed.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"You could get hurt."

"That's a good point." Charlie pointed to Amita. "I mean, these boys are bigger than you. One push and…" He blew air out of his mouth as if to show how bad that could be.

"Dad!" Abby put her hands up at her father. "I can handle myself."

"Hello?" Don's voice came flooding into the house from the front door. Interrupting the argument before it could truly start.

"Uncle Don!" The girls sprang from their chairs and joined the agent by the was just taking off his jacket and hanging it up by the door.

"Hey!" He picked Aubrey up into a hug, before putting her down and looking to the elder child, seeing the frustration on her face. "What's wrong kiddo?"

"My fast-pitch team got cut." She explained again, "And now mom and dad are freaking out…"

Charlie frowned over at his daughter. "Maybe you should explain why we are, quote, 'freaking out', Abigail." Causing Don to look back to his niece.

She sighed and looked up at her uncle. "I'm going to try out for the boys team."

Don smiled, "Yeah. Alright!" He pulled her to his chest, turning her around to face her parents. "Why not? She can handle it. She's better than every guy at the batting cages!"

"Yes!" Abby smiled, "See! Uncle Don agrees with me!"

The brother's frowned at one another. Charlie looked to his eldest, "We will talk about this later."

"We can't, Dad. Tryouts are tomorrow." She stepped away from her uncle's arms and towards her father. "I'm going to try out. You can't stop me!" She took off up the stairs, into her room.

The next day at tryouts was met with resistance. The boys hated the idea of even letting girls try out. Let alone be on the team. The girls showed up in full uniform, their bags full of their gear thrown over their shoulders.

"No way!" The captain, Aaron Meyer, complained. "Girls can't play baseball. I mean come on! fastpitch is one thing, it's a softball and underhand, but this is the real thing."

"Ha!" Abby's friend, Kelly Newnan, laughed. "I bet you a hundred bucks you couldn't hit one ball Abby throws at you." She crossed her arms, " _Overhand_!"

Aaron frowned and took a step towards the girl, "You don't even have a hundred dollars to bet. And even if you did it wouldn't be fair to take your money, Baby."

"Fine." Abby stepped between the two, "Then I bet a spot on the team for all three of us." She motioned to herself, Kelly, and their friend Jessie Newcome. "I bet you I can strike you out. Three strikes, three spots."

Aaron looked doubtful for a second and looked to his coach, who joined the teens. "We have to know you can hit too. Three strikes and a hit each." He said.

The young Eppes looked to her friends, who nodded in agreement, before turning back to the couch and reaching out her hand. "Deal." They shook and the deal was made. The girl grabbed her glove and ran to pitchers mound. Waiting for the batter to take his place, she adjusted her cap before stretching out her throwing arm. Once he was ready she waited for the catcher to squat down. Her friends in the dug-out yelling things like 'Don't blink, _Baby._ ' and other distractions. She readied herself and threw a screwball.

"Strike one." The coach yelled. Her friends screamed with happiness.

She got the ball back and readied herself once more. A curveball this time.

"Strike two!"

She smiled at the look on the captain's face. It was time for the heater. Her uncle had taught her how to throw a fastball and now it was time to put it to the test. She took aim and threw the best fastball she's ever done right over the center of the base.

"Whoa!" The catcher had to steady himself before he fell to the ground.

The coach was silent for a moment, not knowing where the ball was. It wasn't until the catcher showed him the ball that he was able to call it. "Strike three…?" He looked to Aaron and shrugged. "The girl has an arm…"

Aaron had the expression every cartoon character gets when he's so mad that steam would start pouring out of its ears. "Doesn't mean she can hit anything." He also nodded to her friends, "Or them for that matter."

The girls went up one-by-one for their hits. Kelly started, wanting to show up Aaron at his own game. Aaron threw a curveball, which Kelly hit, getting a double. Next was Jessie, who got a single. And finally Abby.

She gripped the bat just like her Uncle Don had showed her. Aaron thought he could get her with his fastball. She let the first one go, getting a strike. But she was just testing him, knowing that he would feel safe about throwing another fastball. She was right. She timed her hit perfectly, sending the ball over the back fence for a home-run. The girls ran their bases before gathering at home. "That's three strikes and three hits!" She turned to the team and smiled. "What do you have to say to that?"

Aaron, to the girl's amazement, was the first to step up. "I guess there's only one thing to say." He sighed and looked to the ground before looking back up at the girls and smiled. "Glad to have you on the team."


End file.
